My Students Regret It After I Retired - Chapter 102



101 – Aspiration

An ability bestowed only upon the chosen.

An innate talent that an ordinary person could never reach.

The pinnacle of divine unfairness was the ability. An ability can’t be awakened just because one wants it. At a certain moment, like with Leos, when specific conditions are met, it comes suddenly. It’s different for everyone, but there’s no way to describe the emotion felt when an ability is awakened. How could there be, when you suddenly gain power that operates on a different plane than humanity?

Lacart spoke to Leos.

“It’s a relief, it seems Enas has awakened her ability normally.”

“…”

Leos remained silent.

A former student, once considered someone else.

But now he had no choice but to rely on her help to kill dozens of Celestial Assembly ability-holders, making it uncomfortable.

“I hope Enas’s ability is offensive.”

At Lacart’s murmur, Leos also nodded.

Abilities come in many forms, but they’re mostly based on attack. It’s because they reflect the values someone unconsciously pursues.

Leos always fought at the forefront, so his hands and sword were constantly lacking. Considering this situation, the Five Swords awakened.

Bendict endlessly grieved and despaired over the incident where his father killed himself because of a swindler. If he had instead felt the mental anguish his father experienced at the hands of the swindler, would his father still be alive? This endless regret awakened as an ability, allowing him to take on the external and internal wounds of others.

Many don’t realize it, but abilities are ultimately linked to the values a person pursues, or more accurately, to their fate.

*Gulps*…

Leos swallowed dryly, waiting for Enas.

The wait wasn’t long; soon, the bright light around Enas’ body began to fade.

It meant her ability awakening was complete.

Rakart, unable to contain himself, asked Enas,

“What ability did you awaken?”

“I see…strange letters in front of me…it says…‘Desire’…”

“Desire, huh…”

A deeply held wish.

Enas’s desire to restore her relationship with Leos back to the way it was, awakened the ability ‘Desire’.

“What does the ability do?”

“It fulfills what you desperately desire. That’s what it says.”

“Any other explanation?”

“None.”

Leos’ expression twisted as if something was wrong. First, because the ability Enas had awakened seemed completely unrelated to combat. Second, because the activation conditions were so vague.

Leos’ own ability, the ‘Guide’, was also a fraudulent power, but he’d only used it twice so far because of its abstract activation conditions and effects.

A power you can’t use when you need it is no better than trash. Leos finally sighed, about to turn and leave, but then…

“Please wait, Leos-nim.”

Leos said,

“I’m going to the Celestial Assembly alone. Your ability isn’t suited for combat.”

“That’s not true. It’s supposed to grant your deepest desires, right? If I desperately wished for the Celestial Assembly leader to die, maybe it could happen.”

“Your ability isn’t as convenient as you think, especially for abstract things. If you don’t understand, try desperately praying right now. Wish for all the Red Gates in the world to disappear.”

Enaas closed her eyes as Leos said and started wishing fervently. For all the Red Gates in the world to vanish.

But, nothing happened.

Leos pointed toward a distant Red Gate and said,

“See? Simply by praying and wishing for something, nothing happens. The conditions for ‘desperately wanting’ aren’t met.”

“I… I truly wanted it though.”

“Haa…”

Without another word, Leos turned to leave.

“Time is of the essence. I have no choice but to go to the Celestial Assembly alone…”

That moment.

*Whoosh!*

An intense light began to emanate from Enaas, capturing Leos’s gaze.

The energy radiating from Enaas, as if about to explode. Leos stared blankly, transfixed, while Enaas spoke desperately.

“Please… please take me with you. Let me be able to help you, Leos-nim. Please, because… because I’m begging you like this…”

In that moment, Leos understood.

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Ena’s “Wish” trait has just activated.

There was no way to not know. After just witnessing that light with my own eyes, a vague feeling that I absolutely had to take Ena with me started to surge wildly in my heart.

If I take her, something will happen. She’ll definitely be a help at a crucial moment. That thought kept gripping my mind.

“Leos-nim… please…”

As Leos remained silent, the light emanating from Ena’s body began to engulf the surroundings even more intensely.

“A wish, huh…”

Leos finally turned around, looked at Ena, and spoke.

“If you become a hindrance, I will discard you. Even if you’re taken prisoner, I won’t save you. If that happens, it might even be me who dies.”

Ena replied with a bright smile.

“Okay. Leos-nim, please don’t worry about me and just focus on winning, on surviving.”

Looking at Ena, who was smiling with an incomparably bright smile, Leos’s heart began to ache.

‘Is this also part of the Wish’s power?’

But Leos didn’t show it outwardly and simply replied coldly.

“I’ll do that even if you don’t say it. The bond between master and disciple disappeared along with the days I was locked up in prison.”

*

Thanks to Ena’s awakening, Leos was able to face the battle not alone but as a duo. But even so, the fact remained that they were still facing an overwhelmingly unfavorable position against the enemy.

However, there was nothing to be done. If they ignored the Heavenly Assembly, they would constantly expand their power, and would continue to manipulate everyone like puppets to create a world of their own.

Leos was certain that among those who would die in that process, he and his companions would definitely be the first targets.

Kill before being killed. To realize this simple sentence, Leos had to go through countless battles.

‘Now, I’ve finally overthrown the Emperor, and all the forces under the Emperor’s command have been completely eliminated.’

The only group that needed to be eliminated was the Heavenly Assembly.

His last step felt heavier than ever before.

“We’ve arrived.”

Lost in thought, Leos hadn’t realized he’d reached the Heavenly Assembly’s headquarters.

Enas quietly took Leos’s hand.

“What are you doing?”

Leos glared at Enas, who took a deep breath and replied.

“Your hands are shaking. You’re tense, Leos-nim. You need to calm down. You always told me that the moment you get tense in battle, your odds of winning drop below half.”

Leos closed his eyes and lowered his head without a word. He was aware of it himself. In all his previous battles, he had never truly felt this kind of tension. Though he might’ve felt his life was in danger, he was always certain of victory. Even when facing ability-users, he thought that if he just developed a similar ability, he could surely win.

But for Leos, the Heavenly Assembly leader was an insurmountable wall. Even when facing her, he couldn’t see any opening. Standing before her, he felt like a raindrop, and she felt like a massive dam.

Her power, which had toyed with an entire empire, was simply unparalleled.

Leos knew. His odds of winning against her were below 10 percent.

‘And she even has her allies.’

There were likely still dozens of Heavenly Assembly members left. If she were to launch a surprise attack while he was fighting them, it would be a disaster.

“You can win. You’ll do great, just like you always do.”

Enas held Leos’s hand and patted it. Leos didn’t pull away, accepting her touch. He could feel his tension easing, somehow.

“My mind is actually calming down. Is this your awakened ability, the power of longing?”

“I don’t know.”

Enas, happy that she was helping, looked at Leos and smiled. Leos couldn’t bring himself to meet her gaze.

The effect of an ability is absolute.

A WISH: It grants what one desperately desires.

Even though it was nothing more than such a simple phrase, the effect was definite.

‘The conditions are definite, too.’

It was subjective in that it meant ‘desperately desiring’, but it also had to be accompanied by an objective wish sufficient to satisfy the system.

Merely wishing for something like ‘I hope it turns out this way’ wouldn’t trigger the effect.

The effect only activates when one feels something akin to, ‘I don’t care if I die, I just want *this* to happen.’ Or, ‘I want to achieve *this* even if I have to throw away my life.’

Leos had felt Enas’ power activate several times before.

His unchanging resolve, his taut nerves, they were fluctuating constantly.

Which meant Enas was currently wishing desperately for something.

‘Following me, and hoping I won’t be tense… is she desperately wishing for that, too?’

His heart was a mess. Just a former disciple who hadn’t believed in him.

Someone who was worse than a stranger, but not someone he hated enough to kill with his own hands.

He had come with her viewing her as someone he could use, someone he could use for the sake of his comrades.

But as Leos felt himself relax more and more, he regretted it.

‘She’s also awakened her power, and above all, I thought it’d be okay even if she was taken hostage. What a misjudgment.’

Leos, feeling the warm touch of Enas’ hand, spoke.

“Don’t die, Enas.”

“Huh…?”

Enas stared blankly at Leos, and Leos turned and entered the Celestial Assembly headquarters, saying,

“If you die, I don’t think I’ll feel good.”

Tears welled up in Enas’ eyes.

She started to wish for something she never wanted before.

Please, to make it back alive with Leos.

Maybe, that all the broken relationships could be mended.

She hoped that way, fervently wished.

[Your wish is being transmitted to the system.]

[Error has occurred. For both of you to survive, the Heavenly Host must be killed.]

[The Heavenly Host is beyond human providence. Killing her requires a more earnest desire.]

[Wish-based ability alone is insufficient to kill the Heavenly Host.]

[Wish activation has been put on hold.]

Enas was bewildered, listening to the voices in her head. To her confusion, the system added one more phrase.

[Though the wish activation is on hold, your heart will be conveyed.]

Without knowing what it meant, Enas walked towards Leos.

Even if her ability didn’t activate, Enas’s choice remained unchanged.

To fight alongside Leos. And therefore, to protect him.

That was all.